Las Vegas audiences at CinemaCon were the first to see actor Bill Skarsgard’s transformation into the iconic vampire, Nosferatu. The debut of footage from the Robert Eggers-directed horror remake showed off Skarsgard’s transformation into the character, originally played in 1922 by actor Max Schreck.
The original feature was an attempt to adapt Bram Stoker’s iconic 1897 novel without having to deal with the copyright. So, while the original story follows Stoker’s novel — a vampire travels from Transylvania to England and all hell breaks loose — the character names are all different.
The trailer does not show Skarsgard as the titular dragon of blood, but just the dread of his imminent arrival sets the gothic, German city of Wisborg into pure chaos. Lily-Rose Depp tearfully asks Professor Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) about the nature of evil, as shots of women puking blood, horse-drawn carriages riding through shadowy, snow-covered alleys, and the menacing castle where Nosferatu calls home are shown.
Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen Hutter, whom the vampire Nosferatu finds himself drawn to, while Nicholas Hoult plays her fiancee Thomas, who is the first to meet the vamp. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe (who appeared in “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman”) will also star.
Eggers has praised Skarsgard’s transformation into the vampire character, telling Empire magazine on November 20, “I’ll say that Bill has so transformed, I’m fearful that he might not get the credit that he deserves because he’s just … he’s not there.”
The role of Count Orlok has been done two times previously, leaving Skarsgård to follow up some iconic performances – Max Schreck starred in the original film while Klaus Kinski played the role in Werner Herzog’s 1979 remake. Eggers promised this performance will stand apart but pay homage to the earlier performances.
“Nosferatu” marks Focus Features’ continued collaboration with Eggers following the 2022 release of the viking epic “The Northman,” which starred Skarsgard’s brother, Alexander, in the title role. The film also reunites Eggers with veteran producer Chris Columbus who is credited as executive producer on “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.”
“Nosferatu” hits theaters December 25, 2024.
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